Oct 19
Christmas From The Heart
Posted on Monday, October 19, 2009 in David Archuleta
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Album Description
Christmas From The Heart is the second studio album, and first Christmas album by David Archuleta.The album features collaboration with Charice Pempengco (an international Philippines singer who rose to popularity through YouTube) on ” Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and a brand new track “Melodies of Christmas”, co-written by David.
Sorry but I don’t like this. My friend gave me this as a present. I never heard of this person before but she told me I wold enjoy it, but I didn’t. I have heard better Christmas albums. This is just plain awful.
Rating: 1 / 5
I listened to pre-view clips then decided to buy this CD. Those snippets are nothing compared to full songs. haha. What a teaser! I’m pleasantly surprised at his voice and background music. This has very traditional Christmas songs which is good for my families and friends as a gift. If I have more money, I’ll buy more!
Rating: 5 / 5
I was so excited when I first heard that David A would be coming up with an Xmas album since David is very popular here in the Philippines. He and David Cook had this awesome concert in March this year and they left this lasting memorable impression in the hearts of Filipinos. Hearing David’s Xmas album was pure joy. Indeed, his wonderful singing was simply from the heart and “Christmas from the Heart” is indeed a very apt title for his album. David’s vocals are great. His asset is undoubtedly his pure and clear voice! His duet with our very own Charice was beautiful. Their voices blended perfectly in “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” Two of my all-time favorite Christmas songs happen to be in this album – “O Holy Night” and “Ave Maria.” David sings them perfectly and when he sings those high notes effortlessly, it gives me goose bumps everytime! I must also commend David for his correct diction in singing “Ave Maria.” He sang and enunciated the words like they should be because most American artists always sing the words the American way. “Ave,” for example, should be sung as “A-veh” and not “Avay.” David’s and Josh Groban’s version of “Ave Maria” are two of the best I have ever heard. I also like the fact that there are light songs in this collection like “Pat-A-Pan” and David’s own composition “Melodies of Christmas.” All in all, a modern Xmas classic from David Archuleta. Go David A!
Rating: 5 / 5
I love this CD. My sister sent it to me and I haven’t stopped listening to it! He is so talented and I love hearing him sing, he was my favorite on American Idol!
Rating: 5 / 5
It seems every singer, whether well-known or obscure, feels they have to record the obligatory Christmas album. Most end up being a train wreck, many of the so-called artists don’t observe Christmas or even know anything about it but they are quick to make a buck by singing about it.
Then we have David Archuleta. Yes the same David who was the geeky baby-fat kid on the tacky talent show who amazed us with his huge voice. David is not yet even 20, yet he is in the rarified company of being a true musical genius, one of the handful of singers on Earth who actually CAN sing.
Unlike so many singers who blightly croak out the same holiday-themed words without depth or meaning, David truly does sing from the heart. He went into this album with a profound knowledge of the meaning of each and every word and polishes them to diamond magnificence. At the same time as he displays his intimate knowledge of the true meaning of Christmas he sings with a childlike innocence that few entertainers have ever possessed.
And, a pet peeve of mine, David knows how to pronounce the word Christmas. Sorry to all those singers who think it’s pronounced “creasemiss” … you lose.
Here is a song-by-song mini-review:
JOY TO THE WORLD – David takes the tempo down on this classic, nourishing each word, encouraging the listener to “repeat the sounding joy”. You can almost see David’s eyes sparkle as he feels his own joy at the story he sings to us.
ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH – This song often comes across as trite and fluffy from many singers. David joins the angels on magical flight over a sleeping world on the eve of Christmas to proclaiming the birth of the child … peaceful, serene yet jubilant at the same time.
O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL – One of the most sung songs at Christmastime, David wisely stays true to the roots of this classic. His arrangement could and should become the new definitive version.
SILENT NIGHT – Often sung more as a monotonous love ballad, David begins this song at almost a whisper. He surprises us by ratcheting up the volume, intensity and emotion to the point we understand what the Austrian priest Father Josef Mohr and the Austrian headmaster Franz Xavier Gruber felt when they first wrote the lyrics and the melody. Not just an observation of a silent night but a call for each of us to do our part for peace on earth.
THE FIRST NOEL – After the first verse, David takes us on a personal introspective muse. “Born is the King” he repeats … his sense of wonder of that concept makes this the most beautiful arrangement of The First Noel in history.
O HOLY NIGHT – One of my personal favorites, I have heard many beautiful versions. As he does with O Come All Ye Faithful, David does not over-dramatize this classic. If anything his restraint retains the holy and reverent theme of the lyrics. David has been singing this song since he was a child and it is evident that it is more part of his daily life than something to be pulled out of the closet once a year.
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS (duet with Charice Pempengco) – I don’t know who Charice is but she has a beautiful smokey voice in the style of Natalie Cole. Together they are as natural as Astaire & Rogers, Carter & Cash, Bogart & Bacall, etc. Delightful.
I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS – this is a song that is hard to make believable when sung by a Hollywood mega-millionaire. That is why there are so many bad versions. David’s sincerity and modesty gives him the perfect insight to make us feel the sadness, and hope, this song inspires.
PAT-A-PAN – A traditional French Christmas carol, David expands his amazing talent by singing it partially in French. The song tells of the birth of Jesus in a way reminiscent of The Little Drummer Boy …
Willie, bring your little drum;
Robin, bring your flute and come;
And be merry while you play,
Tu-re-lu-re-lu,
Pat-a-pat-a-pan,
Come be merry while you play,
Let us make our Christmas gay!
The lyrics are meant to mimic the sound of a flute and drum. David is having fun here and it’s hard to resist getting up and dancing around the room while he sings it.
WHAT CHILD IS THIS – Is David Archuleta capable of not amazing us with his range of talent? The arrangement of this song makes me picture him as a young minstrel boy on the streets of Bethlehem 2000 years ago who has just learned of what happened in the manager. No one is around at first as he sings in wonderment to himself but he soon gathers an ever-expanding crowd as the message is spread through the village and over the earth.
RIU RIU CHIU – Sung in Spanish, this 15th Century song is likely unknown to most listeners. The song is sung in a way to be reminiscent of the sounds of a nightingale. It is a beautiful addition to David’s first Christmas album.
AVE MARIA – this perhaps is the most beautiful song on a beautiful album. Simple acoustic accompaniment, David’s angelic voice (singing in Latin), this is the first time we hear David in an almost operatic voice. I dare say if he soloed on the stage of the world’s greatest opera houses he would bring the house down with thunderous standing ovations. Have I called David a musical genius yet? If so, I repeat it. Bravo!
MELODIES OF CHRISTMAS – In case anyone thinks I blindly like anything and everything David does, this is the reality check. I give him credit for including Pat-A-Pan and Riu Riu Chiu but WHY do singers feel they have to try to introduce “new” classics? This song isn’t as bad as “Last Christmas” or “Grandma Got Runned over by a Reindeer” but it is way too clichéd. Little hints of Christmas melodies, the same hackneyed lyrics that we will incessantly hear on the radio in the weeks before Christmas. David, I know you wrote this song and it means things to you, but sorry, as one of the judges on that talent contest would say “it’s forgettable”.
Rating: 5 / 5